The introduction of the Hashira demon slayers is the best thing that has happened in Demon Slayer, but their deaths are the worst part of this show.
In this blog post, you will get to know about two things
- Who were the Hashira demon slayers that died
- The cause of their deaths
WARNING: You should have read the manga of Demon Slayer by now.
Kanae Kocho (Flower Hashira)
Reason of death: Killed by Doma (Upper Moon 2)
Kanae, the elder sister of Shinobu, died at the hands of Doma, the upper rank 2. Her death was the least impactful one as we knew already that she was long gone. The only thing that was new to us was that Kanae was another one of those unlucky victims of Doma, “the real demon”.
Kanae got the least role in the story out of any of the hashira, but she had an enormous impact on Shinobu.
Nevertheless, she was the first main Hashira to die in Demon Slayer.
Rengoku Kyojuro (Flame Hashira)
Reason of death: Killed by Akaza (Upper Moon 3)
Rengoku, the fan-favourite character, died in the Mugen train arc when Akaza came out of nowhere and had an incredible duel with him. He penetrated Rengoku’s solar plexus before escaping into the forest due to the sun. Shortly after, Rengoku succumbed to his injuries.
This is the most painful and memorable death of any character in Demon Slayer anime. Surely, the manga will replace this, but no one can replace Rengoku from the hearts of the people.
If you want to read more about Rengoku, this could help:
Anyways, the death of Rengoku was a major moment in the story as it inspired a lot of characters to eliminate every demon alive, especially Tanjiro. Even Inosuke felt a lot at his demise and later, he used his smartness in Entertainment District to locate Upper Moon 6.
Without a doubt, Rengoku’s death will the biggest moment out of all Hashira deaths.
Uzui Tengen (Sound Hashira)
Whoops! Don’t freak out. He did NOT die. After fighting Gyutaro in the Entertainment District arc, he retired from the Demon Slayer corps due to him losing his left arm and eye.
Related: Uzui Tengen vs Gyutaro, who would win? (Deep Battle series)
Anyways, the flamboyant man survived in the end (even after slapping/smacking Aoi).
Shinobu Kocho (Insect Hashira)
Reason of death: Killed by Doma (Upper Moon 2)
Like her elder sister Kanae, Shinobu was killed by Doma. The exact word instead of ‘killed’ would be ‘absorbed’!
During the Infiniti Castle arc, Shinobu ran into Doma and got furious, realizing that this was the demon that killed her sister. She showed her true colours and displayed her swift Hashira moments before sacrificing herself to be a victim of Doma.
Her death was one of the most unexpected ones in the whole story as it happened in a blink of an eye. I had to process this part in the manga because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at that moment. It was hard to watch how Doma was absorbing her while smiling and trash-talking by looking at Kanao. It was cruel and sadistic.
I am sure when this part gets animated, people will freak out.
Muichiro Tokito (Mist Hashira)
Reason of death: Killed by Kokushibo (Upper Moon 1)
Muichiro, the youngest Hashira, was killed by his ancestor and twin brother of Yoriichi, the strongest demon slayer to ever exist.
During the Infiniti Castle arc, the most powerful demon after Muzan, Kokushibo sliced Muichiro’s body in half without a single thought. As expected, Muichiro died instantly.
Related: All Upper Moon deaths in Demon Slayer explained.
Muichiro’s death was a tragic part of the manga because
- Muichiro was the youngest Hashira
- He had a high potential to excel in his career
- He had many years to live
After all, he was the only one to defeat an Upper Moon with a one on one fair fight in the Swordsmith Village Arc. Not many can do this.
Gyomei Himejima (Stone Hashira)
Reason of death: Died due to the injuries inflicted by Muzan
Gyomei, the strongest Hashira, died soon after the defeat of Muzan. He was already tired after battling the Upper Moon 1, and then he had to fight Muzan too. Muzan inflicted heavy injuries to him and he was unable to withstand them.
In a heart-warming panel, he was reunited with the orphaned kids who had died at the hands of a demon some years ago. This was the moment when the readers knew that there was no saving Gyomei now.
His death was one of the most peaceful deaths in the entire show as he slowly and calmly left the Demon Slayer world.
Kanroji Mitsuri (Love Hashira) and Iguro Obanai (Serpent Hashira)
Reason of death: Died due to the injuries inflicted by Muzan
Mitsuri and Obanai, the two lovebirds, died together after defeating Muzan. Though their demise was sad, it was also beautiful how Mitsuri died in the hands of Obanai. Even his snake, Kaburamaru was shedding some of its tears.
Mitsuri tragically lost both of her arms when she was fighting Muzan and Obanai lost the vision in his eyes. It would have been great to see them alive and being married to one another, but the author decided to kill them. This just shows that the lives of the humans will be sacrificed in order to defeat demons.
The deaths of these two Hashira marked an end to the Hashira’s pain and suffering, meaning only two Hashira hunters survived (Uzui is now a former Hashira).
Hashira who survived
Sanemi Shinazugawa (Wind Hashira)
Arguably the second strongest Hashira survived even after fighting Upper Moon 1 and Muzan.
Read this post to find out why Sanemi was right to attack Nezuko during the Hashira meeting.
Giyu Tomioka (Water Hashira)
The other fan-favourite after Rengoku also survived the whole story and this marked a good conclusion to his character.
Conclusion
As I mentioned, all Hashira deaths in this story are sad moments with nothing but pain and suffering all around. Tell me in the comments, who is the hashira whom you love the most.
Read this post to find out why Akaza (Upper Moon 3) is the best villain in Demon Slayer. Watch this video if you don’t want to read it.
